Hello Mike, I am so pleased to hear from you, please tell me a bit of your history , that is if you don't mind. How old were you when you got all 3 shunts in and how old are you now? How hard of a time did the docs have controling all 3 in the beginning?**** Aggie

My first 2 shunts were placed between '81 (2months old) and '83(2 years old). I was able to function "normally" untill August of 2003( 22 years old) when I needed to have another shunt placed because it was determined that the other 2 had stopped working.

I have also heard of folks having more than one shunt in, though in most cases, only one of them works. The issue is that its riskier to not have one than to undergo the surgery to put one in. However the risk of leaving a non-functional one in place is less risky than the surgery required to remove it. It's all about balancing risk. If having one in doesn't pose much of a risk, then most doctors will opt to leave it in place rather than to open the skull and remove it.